Bouquet of Colorful Straws

[Mike Buckley]

Considering how long I've been making photos of transparent and translucent subjects that produce direct reflections, you would think I could make a photo like this fairly quickly. Not so; I'm so slow! The first photo is the result of an afternoon and part of a morning of work in which I made three photos in completely different styles. Even then I still didn't come up with anything satisfactory until I created the two images shown below using the third style. It's a darned good thing I enjoy the process every bit as much as the results; otherwise, I wouldn't be photographing this type of subject.

EDIT: I added the second photo using the same setup as the first one except no tabletop is included in the second one.

Setup
A large continuous-light lamp shining toward the subject and camera through a large circular diffuser and around a background of black felt. A small continuous-light lamp with a flag lighting the straws from the lower left. A medium continuous-light lamp lighting the straws from the upper right. The tabletop is glossy black acrylic. The lens is "looking through" a rectangular hole cut in the center of a black card to eliminate flare.

Click to display the largest size in the Lytebox to fully appreciate the translucent characteristic of the straws.

[Brownbear]

Wow! Love it! Fun, creative yet so elegant and beautiful, incorporating your trademark glass and reflections. The highlights and reflections are exquisite and extra special.

[mknittle]

Wow that's really cool Mike. I can see how it would take considerable time to set up.

[Jill]

Nice one Mike.
Thank you for talking through what you have done to create this.
I find it most helpful
I am experimenting with lighting these days but with not too much success so far.

[DonnaK]

The result is a definite labor of love, Mike. The set up and details that you went through would stop most people. I'm glad you continued and showed us this result. It's excellent.

[just me]

Absolute smashing......WOW !!!!!!!

I wish I would have the patience to set something like this up.....

Griddi.......

[Chri5]

That's a brilliant image. The only thing I would say is that Id like to see the full reflection in the image, but it is still a brilliant photo none the less.

Well done.

[bnnrcn]

Wow, this is great Mike ! I loved everything in the image. Stunning indeed.

[Mike Buckley]

I added a second photo to the first post of the thread using the same setup as in the first one except no tabletop is included in the second one.

[Barbara Ponder]

Lucky for us you are a patient man! I always enjoy your images.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks so much to everyone!

The following comments are in response to the first photo before the second photo was added:

Fun, creative yet so elegant

You made my day, Christina! The fun and elegance is the exact mood I was hoping the image would convey. I'm not sure how creative it is but I'll defer to you about that.

I am experimenting with lighting these days but with not too much success so far.

That being the case, I strongly recommend the fourth edition of Light: Science and Magic. It not only explains lighting setups, it explains why they work they way they do so you can transfer the knowledge to other setups you do on your own.

I'd like to see the full reflection in the image

I tend to lean toward including the entire reflection of a subject when the subject is less complex than this one. Even so, I'm embarrassed that I didn't even think of considering the composition you suggested. Immediately after reading your post, I returned to my makeshift studio to try out your idea. Unfortunately, it wasn't appealing to me. That is probably because once I envision a particular composition, I almost always have a difficult time envisioning something else that is reasonably close but not quite the same. My decision not to use your composition probably has more to do with my state of mind than the merit of your idea, so keep those ideas coming!

[Brownbear]

You made my day, Christina! The fun and elegance is the exact mood I was hoping the image would convey. I'm not sure how creative it is but I'll defer to you about that.

In my mind it's very creative for the placement of everything in the image including the charming arrangement of the straws, artsy yet purposeful (full of stories involving invisible people having fun), furthermore it's innovative and beautifully photographed! Everything you photograph is elegant.

PS I adore the 2nd image, too.

[Rebel]

Amazing light Mike

[bnnrcn]

#2 is nice as a seperate image too. But if it is in the same thread as #1 , your first image is so nice with every aspect that is certainly beats the second .

[Stagecoach]

Who could imagine that a pack of plastic drinking straws could provide so much entertainment?

No 1 is certainly the winner here on its artistic merit but there's something about the sheer sharpness and translucence of the straws in No 2 that appeals to me Mike.

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you to Grahame, Binnur and Matt!

Who could imagine that a pack of plastic drinking straws could provide so much entertainment?

It should probably be embarrassing that such simple things can provide me so much entertainment.

No 1 is certainly the winner here on its artistic merit but there's something about the sheer sharpness and translucence of the straws in No 2 that appeals to me.

That sums up my take very well.

By the way, it took about 30 minutes of working the second composition to get the six straws on the left aligned as they are. When I repositioned a straw, it rarely remained exactly in place. Also, adjusting the position of one straw would invariably move at least one of the other straws.

[marlunn]

very cool - and as expected technically great shots Mike, as for providing entertainment - its your ability to be entertained and make something of it that make this stand out, others may see the pack of straws and move on - you see them and think I wonder....... and then go onto entertain us my thanks

edit - my daughters would not like this, it would irritate them as they would want to order the straws in rainbow colour order and cant

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Mark!

[Loose Canon]

Hey Mike!

Sorry so late!

Just wanted to say I think these shots rock! Excellent lighting!

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Terry! No problem being late to the party. We've got 500 straws laying around the place, so it's not as if we're going to run out of them.